Ever since I’ve been a young voice student, I’ve been fascinated with the expressive, healing and spiritual potentials of our voice and vibration. Through my own experience with personal tragedy and the observation of my students, I realized that voice, through the language of the body, has the potential to access something much deeper in us. I saw that people’s voices reflected how they felt about themselves, and how they showed up in their lives.
Like many of us, I grew up in a dysfunctional family dynamic. That, coupled with losing my entire family before age 30 created a log jam of suppressed expression in my throat chakra. This stopped me from sticking up for myself in episodes of sexual harassment at work, kept me in bad relationships way too long, and I still feel it in the pit of my stomach during confrontational conversations.
Developing my relationship with my own voice as a singer and voice teacher gave me opportunities to peel away the layers of protection that I had surrounded myself with. This helped me not only develop a sense of empowerment and self-esteem, but I believe facilitated the processing and clearing of my emotional and grief trauma. Over time, I built up the courage to speak out in spite of the fear, which transformed me from a shy, fearful child to a performer, speaker, author and sound therapist.
The following are some compelling examples that will open you to a new way of understanding your voice as an amazing tool for expression, healing, and spiritual awakening.
Sacred Science of Sound
Current scientific research has now made the connection between sound vibrations and their therapeutic benefits. Ancient cultures had this awareness and incorporated vocal sounds into their healing and spiritual rituals.
Unlike other instruments, the voice vibrates from the inside out. This internal resonance can unlock your body’s innate ability to heal itself. Also, since our voices vibrate at a much higher frequency than our bodies, every time you make sound you are literally bathing your body in higher vibrations. This boosts your immune system and creates an unwelcome environment for viruses, pathogens and diseases. Your cells also have hair-like antenna called cilia that respond to certain frequencies and take them in as nourishment.
Your brain and body are hard-wired to readily accept, respond and resonate with your voice. It not only elicits a physiological response but a powerful and deep transformative emotional one as well.
Humming and Toning
Would you think that something so simple as a hum, tone or chant could improve the state of your health? Research has shown that a simple hum can lower blood pressure and heart rate, facilitate the release of endorphins and melatonin, increase lymphatic circulation and increase oxygen in cells. Humming and toning are ancient practices that have been used in spiritual disciplines to aid in the connection with the divine.
The first time I was introduced to toning was at a weekend retreat. In one of the sessions there were about 50 of us sitting in a circle and toning the chakra vowel sounds. The experience of being surrounded by the force of the vocal vibrations released something in me and opened a floodgate of tears that washed away some of the grief I had been holding inside.
Human Bioacoustics
Some years back, my husband and I went to an open house where I heard about the work of The Institute of BioAcoustic Biology & Sound Health. The science of Human Bioacoustics is based on the premise that the voice can act as a holographic representation of health and wellness. BioAcoustics research has discovered that voice analysis may be used to detect a variety of wellness issues.
I was inspired to try it for myself, so I found a local Bioacoustics practitioner. At the appointment I was asked to speak into a microphone connected to a computer program that analyzed my voice. It produced a graph with high and low points which represented frequency based biomarkers or possible imbalances in the subtle frequencies of my body. I just had blood work done some weeks before, so I had a baseline for comparison. Imagine my surprise when I got the results of the voice print, and they matched the results of my blood work! Your voice is a literal representation of YOU – the more you use it, the more you will be able to feel your true self emerging.
Primal Voice
When children are expressing themselves with shouts, screams, whoops of joy and other primal sounds, what do we tell them? What were you told as a child? When our voice has been silenced, it shuts down our freedom of expression, our aliveness, our joy.
A 2015 study by the University of California showed that traces of emotional memory are stored in the cell’s nucleus and can be released by a stimulus, such as the voice. Other studies have shown that people that swear or curse when they hurt themselves actually feel less pain, finding that ‘swearing increased pain tolerance and heart rate compared with not swearing’. Because of its significant relationship to the vagus nerve, the voice acts like a tuner to facilitate a harmonic state of resonance by sending a signal of safety and calm which impacts heart rate, breathing rate and digestion.
Years ago I was having a Myofascial release session, in which the practitioner uses compression to release fascial restrictions. About halfway through, my whole body started to vibrate, and an extended primal yell came out of my mouth that was totally involuntary. My body released the trauma energy through my voice. Because we express such a wide range of emotions with our voice, it makes sense that allowing the body to make the sounds that it needs would help bring it back into homeostasis.
The real magic of your voice can open up your heart to your true nature – with vibrations that truly are “custom made” just for you.
Potential for Empowerment, Healing and Awakening
You don’t have to take singing lessons – just listen to the voice of your heart and hear what it’s telling you. Open your ears to your intuition for guidance on how to express your needs and wants. As you gain trust in the voice of your soul, you will find that your words come from a more empowered and authentic place; it awakens the wisdom and magic of our soul. Your voice is the ultimate healing instrument – the most effective carrier and delivery system of frequency to your body – a holographic representation of you – your soul’s fingerprint!
By Ruth Ratliff, VSTCP
ruthratliff.com